A Focused Mind!

Scripture Text

Matthew 22:37

Isaiah 26:3

Intro: God tells us in His word how important our mind is to a strong faith. He has much to say about the mind in His word. The word mind- (singular), appears 95 times in the bible so it's importance to God can't be denied.

I. The commandment. Matthew 22:37 (ESV) And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Heart: This is the seat of man's affection and (devotion). The heart connects and focuses our affections and devotion. The heart causes us to devote ourselves to either good or bad. Therefore, Christ says we are to love God "with all our heart." Therefore, We are to focus our heart, our affection, and our (devotion) upon God.

We are to love God supremely above all else because He loves us supremely.

Soul: This is the seat of man's breath and life or consciousness. The soul is the life of a man, the consciousness, the breath, the essence, the being of a man. The soul is the life of a man. Christ said we are to love God "with all our soul," that is, with all our life, our breath, our consciousness. We love Him with our whole being.

We are to love God with all the life and awareness we have at all times.

Mind: Our mind is the seat of reasoning and understanding. God has given intellectual powers to mankind. Mankind thinks, reasons, and understands. The mind controls the rest of the body, our heart and soul our entire being. You can't say or do anything without thinking about it first. Our thoughts control our actions and words. We think about things in our heart and then we speak those thoughts. “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” [Matt. 12:34]

Our hearts, what we are within, our affection and devotion to God, and our mind determine our behavior. When He was on the cross, I was on His mind. He loved us with all His mind! Mark 12:30 adds strength. Physical, mental, and spiritual strength.

How do we love God with all our mind? Christ says that our minds and thoughts are to be centered focused upon God. Therefore, we submit our intellect to his will which is His word. We love His law and what the gospel says more than we do the decisions of our own minds. Psalms 119:24 Your testimonies [words] are my delight And my counselors. We are to block out all distracting thoughts that try to keep our focus off God and His word. We are constantly tempted to pull away from a consistent focus on God. As a result, we often find ourselves being tossed to and fro by the concerns of life. We must be willing to submit all our faculties to his teaching and guidance, and to devote all our mental efforts to serve Him. Christians must use his or her intellect by the power of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of Scripture, not feelings and emotions, to discern truth from falsehood.

II. The results of a mind focused on God. [Isaiah 26:3] (NKJV)

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed (focused, resting) on

You, Because he trusts in You. The word perfect means complete, restful peace.

a. Even when we determine to pray and study the scriptures—our minds can float away to other places rendering our time with God as fruitless. It is when we discipline our mind to focus on Jesus and what He has done in order that we may have eternal life—we are changed. Pay attention to when your thoughts wander and ask the Lord to help you discipline your mind. A careful and deliberate study into God’s word will always realign our focus with His will. The scriptures can direct our attention towards the spiritual gaps. When we allow the Spirit to keep our minds focused, resting, fixed, and always remaining on God and His word, He will keep us in perfect peace. This perfect peace means no worries, just genuine restful peace from God. We have an inner soundness and wholeness of spirit, soul, and body.

This availability of inner peace encourages us believers to continue trusting the Lord because if we always trust in the Lord…He will surely lead us to the right way. And It’s our responsibility to choose the right way even if it brings pain. He is our eternal Father and He brings peace that passes all understanding to our heart and mind thru Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Invitation: Do you have peace with God in your soul? You can't have the peace of God until you have peace with God. This peace with God comes from the forgiveness of your sins through Jesus Christ. When you confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and you invite Him into your life to take charge of you, then you will have peace with God. Be baptized to show your sincerity, and then grow in the peace of God.